{"id":542801,"date":"2026-03-15T22:46:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T22:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/542801\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T22:46:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T22:46:07","slug":"fifth-member-of-iranian-womens-soccer-team-leaves-australia-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/542801\/","title":{"rendered":"Fifth member of Iranian women’s soccer team leaves Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fifth member of the Iranian women’s football team withdrew her asylum claim and left the country overnight, the federal government has confirmed.<\/p>\n

Seven team members, including a player handler, were granted humanitarian visas by the Australian government last week while they were here for the Asian Cup tournament.<\/p>\n

Local Iranian diaspora members campaigning for the women to stay claim that the staff member granted asylum was passing on threats from the Iranian regime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iran war live updates:<\/a> For the latest news on the Middle East crisis, read our blog.<\/p>\n

Government sources say they have looked into those claims and have no reason to believe them.<\/p>\n

Three members who had sought asylum decided to return<\/a> to Iran on Sunday.<\/p>\n

How community united to help Iran’s footballers<\/a><\/p>\n

The remaining members of Iran’s women’s football team might have left Australia, but the journey is far from over, as members of the Iranian-Australian community share what really went into the fight to protect their countrywomen.<\/p>\n

Players en route to Tehran<\/p>\n

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs gave the three players requesting a return home multiple opportunities to reconsider before honouring their request.<\/p>\n

“While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.<\/p>\n

Read more about the Iran war:<\/p>\n

“The Australian government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia.”<\/p>\n

Players Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali, and a team support staff member left Australia over the weekend for Kuala Lumpur, where they met up with other team members returning to Tehran.<\/p>\n

Australia’s refugee crisis faces new tests as Iran war widens<\/a><\/p>\n

Does the same principle that led Australia to support Israel and the US in Iran also extend to offering more humanitarian assistance?<\/p>\n

The Iranian Football Association said the players would return to Tehran in the coming days after rejoining the rest of the team in Malaysia.<\/p>\n

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said the latest three to leave Australia were two players and the support staff member.<\/p>\n

The three were “returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland,” the news outlet said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Government says women faced difficult decision<\/p>\n

After the fifth woman decided to return home, Transport Minister Catherine King said the Australian government ensured the team members could stay.<\/p>\n

“We understand the context in which they were making it must have been just incredibly hard and very, very difficult,” she told the ABC.<\/p>\n

“They would have been facing enormous pressure from what was happening overseas in their home country as well. And \u2026 certainly, we are very proud that Australia has offered that choice to these women.<\/p>\n

“And ultimately it is their choice.”<\/p>\n

Expert analysis on the Middle East:<\/p>\n

Human rights activists from the Iranian community in Australia have responded with sadness to the news.<\/p>\n

Iranian-born Sydney councillor Tina Kordrostami said the intimidation from the regime was clearly very real.<\/p>\n

“Their families are detained, some are even missing,” she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Kordrostami, who serves on Ryde Council, believes a staff member from the management of the Iranian football team passed on messages to the players that contained threats to their families.<\/p>\n

The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n

They were eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.<\/p>\n

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